Machine for producing bias weave fabric



Feb. 7, 1933. R. s. sEDDoN 1,896,596

MACHINE FOR PRODUGING BIAS WEAVE FABRIC Feb. 7, 1933. R, s. sEDDoNMACHINE FOR PRODUGING BIAS WEAVE FABRIC Filed May 18, 1951 4Sheets-Shes?l 2 Feb. 7, 1933. R, s. sEDDoN MACHINE FOR PRODUC'ING BIASWEAVE FABRIC Filed May 18, 1931 4 Shets-Sheet 3 :swangki IWUeWZ/or j?..5'. Seddon Feb. 7, 1933. R. s. sEDDoN MACHINE FOR PRODUCING BIAS WEAVEFABRIC Filedmay 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inl/@Mr j?. 3. edd 2?/Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES ROBERT B. BEDDON, F WHITE PLAINS,NEW YORK MACHINE FOB PBODUCING BIAS FABRIC Application led Hay 18, 1981.Serial No. 538,222.

This invention relates to the art of ro ducing what is known in thetrade as ias binding, which is an elongated strip 0r web, usually of awoven fabric, in which the weft and warp threads of the woven structuredo not extend longitudinally and transversely at right angles to themargin, but extend diagonally, and usually at an angle of about 459 tothe side margins of the web. The

0 practice at present is to cut these tapes or bindings from a sheet orweb of the material on lines extending diagonally, or at an angle to theweaving threads, and therefore the length of any one of these strips orwebs is the diagonal distance from side to side, or end to end of thesheet. Consequently to provide a long strip or web of the bias bindingit is necessary to fasten together, as by stitching, a series of thesecomo paratively short lengths of the bias binding.

The main object of the present invention is to produce such bias bindingor tape in the form of a web of very considerable length, just as websof fabric are produced in any length desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide lneans and the method ofproducing an elongated web from an elongated tube,

in which the two side margins of the resulting o web will be constitutedby the two edges produced by a helical line of severance of the tube,and therefore these margins of the web will extend at an angle to thenormal axial elements or lines of the unsevered tube.

In the accompanying drawings showing embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a partial plan view of the apparatus with the feed rolls cutaway.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view enlarged at the rear end of the machine.

Fig. 4 shows a detail of the winding up rolls.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 of lFig. 3 showing the cuttingmeans for the We Fig. 6 is a similar view showing a modified cuttingmeans.

o tube support enlarged.

.portion is drawn a seamless tube of fabric,

Fig. 7 is a partial axial section through the Fig. 8 is a cross sectionon the line 8-8 of Fig; 7.

ig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

of the con- Fig. 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of 55 Fig. 18 showsthe bracket for the cutter a5 and guide roll.

Fig. 19 shows the cutter and shaft.

The mechanism comprises a substantially cylindrical support over whichfrom one end such as a woven tube of fabric in which the Wrap threadsextend longitudinally or parallel to t-he axis or middle line of thetube, and the weft threads obviously extend transversely around thetube. In connection with this support and means for advancing the woventube along the support, I provide cutting means that will sever thetube, but which line of severance does not Y extend parallel with eitherthe weft or warp threads, but at an angle thereto, and preferably at Inother words, the tube is provided with a helical line of severance, andas will be understood from the following, a web is thus produced inwhich the threads extend from edge to edge at the angle of 45, and thusmake bias goods. It will be further understood that this tubular weaveis an article of trade or commerce, as tubular goods such as bags or 90ment of a fixed cutter with the fabric tube that rotates will sever onthis helical line.

Thus a web is produced, that is taken off from the rotating support,preferably at the 5 same angle of 45, and it is thereupon wound on aroll or form as fast as produced. Means are also preferably provided forsupporting this fabric tube of considerable length, that is convenientlyfolded back and forth into a pile to be fed or drawn onto the saidsupport and advanced along the same. Since the support, as shown, isrotated, the f abrlc tube would become twisted, and to avoid thls thesupport on which the folded supply tube rests is caused to'rotate at thesame speed at which the support is rotated. I further rovide means onthe support to draw the fa r1c tube along the same at the same time thatthe support rotates, and this is preferably done port that operatelongitudinally and engage the inner wall of the fabric tube by theirouter exposed faces and cause the tube to travel along until severed bythe cutter.

As shown in the drawings, I provide a support that broadly consists of aframe that carries a series of four endless belts extendinglongitudinally and that obviously partake of the rotation of thesupport, and at the same time the belts travel all in the same directionand draw the fabric onto one end of the support and carry it to thecutter; beyond it the severed web is drawn olf from the support. Thissupport is carried by a Xed inner shaft 2, supported at the rear endonly by standards 3 and 4, see Fig. 12. On the shaft 2, rotates a sleeve5, that may have a special journal 6 at the rear end, carried by astandard 7, similar to the standards 3 and 4. This sleeve carries a gear8 that engages a gear 9 on a shaft 10, and the latter carries a gear 1lengaged by a worm 12 on the shaft of a motor 13, by which means thesleeve 5 is rotated and which constitutes the rotating means for thesupport as a whole. The sleeve 5 carries a frame 14 fast thereon, seeFig. 7, which frame has four hubs 15 a quadrants distance apart, thateach carry a short shaft 16 provided at one end with a small gear 17.The latter gears engage a fixed large gear 18, see Fig. 7, that isstationary and is fixed to the journal 6, see Fig. 12. Since the frame14 is carried around with the sleeve 5, these four gears will have aplanetary action and rotate their shafts from engagement with the fixedgear. Each of these shafts 16I carries a bevel pinion 19 that mesheswith a bevel pinion 20 carried by a cross shaft 21. These four shafts 21are carried by a star frame 22, see Fig. 10, provided With a bearing foreach end of this cross shaft and by this means the small gear 17 willdrive the four cross shafts 21 in unison.

by a series of endless conveyors on the sup- At the other end of thesleeve 5 is mounted.

a star frame 23, see Fig. 9, fixed to the sleeve 5, and similar frames24 and 25 are arranged, along the support, which three frames areconnected by longitudinal members, such as four long bolts 26 passingthrough holes in these frames, and also through the other two starframes 14 and 22, With sleeves on the bolts between opposite framemembers.

It Will be understood that all of these star frames will thus beconnected and rotated by the sleeves around the fixed shaft 2. Thisshaft is provided with an extension shaft 27 at the forward end, that issecured thereto, and which has the frame 25 rotatable thereon. Anotherstar frame 28 identical with the frame 22 of Fig. 10 is mounted on thisextension vshaft 27 and carries four shafts 29 identical with the shafts21.

Each of the cross shafts 2l and 29 carry a roll 30. see Fig. 15. Theserolls being oppositely located in respective pairs serve to carryendless belts 32 of suitable material such as rubber or leather. Insideof each belt may be an endless chain 33, and each of the shafts 21 and29 carries a sprocket 34 at its middle portion to engage the chain 33.This chain may have proj eetions 35 extending into the belt, see Fig.14.

It will thus be seen that when the sleeve 5 is rotated from the motor bythe gears as set forth, the four endless belts will be carried aroundwith the sleeve, and the bevel gear connections of each belt With thefixed gear 18 will cause the belts to advance in the same axialdirection on their outer faces. Between the four belts I arrange guideplates 36 at four places carried by the frames 23, 24, 25, see Fig. 9,to preserve the continuity of the cylindrical carrier. At the front endof the machine the extension shaft 27 carries a conical guide 37 thatwill serve to lead the tubular fabric onto the cylindrical support,formed by the endless belts 32 and the intervening guide plates 36.Intermediate of the ends of the belts are guide rolls 38 carried by theframes, that correspond' with the frame 22 isjhovvn in Fig. 10, toprevent sagging of the elts.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tubular fabric 75 of elongated form hasits open end -first passed over the conical guide 37 that will distendit and cause it to be engaged by the four endless bands, that on theirouter faces travel away fromthis guide. and upon rotation of the carrierby the motor and actuation of these bands, this fabric tube will beadvanced along the carrier, and will be openedout or distended by thisguide. Since the fabric tube is rotated as soon as it is engaged by thecarrier, it Would tend to twist or Wind up unless the tube also isrotated. As shown, I provide a table 39 on a vertical shaft 40 supportedon a standard 41, and this table that carries the tube in foldedarrangement, as shown, is caused to rotate in unison with the rotationof the support for the disended tube. A shaft 42 is driven from thedriving shaft 10 by a chain 43 and miter gears 44 and 45 causingrotation of the table 39 at the proper speed for this purpose.

As the fabric tube rotates and is advanced by the endless belts, it isengaged by a suitable cutter and this will necessarily cause a severanceof the tube in a helical line or path, similar to the cutting of a screwthread on a lathe, except in the latter the cutter advances and the workrotates without advancing. As shown, I arrange a circular cutter 46carried by cutter shaft 8O rotatable in journals 77 on a bracket 76 thatis mounted on table 48. At the forward end of the machine I provide akind of table 4S supported on the standards 3, 4 and 7 on its inneredge, and on posts 49 and 50 on its outer margins. This cutter' wheelmay be rotated by a iiexible shaft 51 driven from the motor 13, and itprojects into a kind of slot 52 in a guide plate 47. It will be observedthat this guide plate projects beneath the web portion of the fabrictube that has just been severed bythe knife, and also projects slightlybeneath the portion of the tube adjacent the severed edges. The webportion now produced by this cutting, denoted by 53, is carried awayfrom the r0- tating support as indicated in the Figs. 1 and 3, and maypass beneath a guide roll 54 on the table 48.

Another form of cutting arrangement is shown in Fig. 6 in which twoblades on opposite sides of the fabric are relatively reciprocated. Herea blade 55 is carried by a slide 56 in a suitable frame 57 and moves inengagement with a fixed blade 58. A rock arm 59 reciprocates the slide56 and is rocked by a crank pin 60 fast on a shaft 61 that may be drivenby a flexible connecting shaft 51.12 extending to the motor 13.

The web as produced by the cutter and rotating support is advanced alongthe table 48 and preferably wound up. In Fig. 4 and elsewhere, the web53 is caused to engage a winding roll 62, after passing around a roll63, the winding roll 62 being initially supported on the said roll 63and on a similar roll 64, spaced apart a short distance, s0 that theroll 62 can frictionally engage these two rolls and cause the web toWind up on the roll 62 at a uniform surface speed. These two rolls 63and 64 carry gears 65 and 66 that mesh with a gear 67. The latter isconnected with an angle gear 68 that meshes with an angle gear 69 faston the driving shaft 10. The roll 62 carrying the web 53 wound thereon,is mounted on arms 71 and 72 that are carried by upstanding bars 7 3 and74. It will thus be seen that the web roll itself engages these drivenrolls 63 and 64 and will be turned at a. constant surface speed` that isso designed to wind up the roll as fast as the web is produced by thecutter.

In the use of the apparatus the tube 75, in folded form, is placed onthe rotatable table 39, and the end of the tube is placed over theconical guide 37 that will expand the tube to a conical form and it isthen drawn over the four endless belts 32. Thereupon the motor isstarted that will cause these belts to advance with their outer facesmoving away from the guide, that will advance the fabric tube. As soonas it reaches the cutter, such as the rotating disc 46, the tube will becut at an angle of 45 to the longitudinal axis of the tube, and whichmargin will be at this angle to the weft and warp threads of the tube.The severed portion is passed beneath the guide roll 54 and moved acrossthe table 48. The end, that, if cut perpendicular to the axis of thetube, will extend at 45 to the side margins of the web, may be eut offsquare with the sides and is then attached Vto the wind-up roll 62, andthe latter, by engagement with its engaging rolls 63 and 64, will windup this web on the roll 62 at a constant surface speed, that is sodesigned by the relative rotation of the pair of rolls with the rotationof the tube suppcrt, that the web 53 will be drawn across the table 48as fast as this operation takes place. The web produced from the woventube if cut at an angle of 45 will have a width a little more than twicethe diameter of the distended tube. It will thus be seen that the twomargins of the web are produced by the helical line of severance andthat the warp and weft threads extend each at the 45 angle to thismargin. It is obvious that very simple slitting Inachines can take thisweb and divide it into anv number of narrow webs. and of differentwidths. each of which band or ribbon will be on the bias form, asdesired.

It will also be obvious that the same device can be used for producing aweb from any tubular structure that can be severed by the cutter.

What I claim is l. A substantially cylindrical support for a wovenseamless tube of fabric. means for rotating said support. a cutterarranged to engage the fabric tube on the support while being ro'ated. aseries of conveyors carried by the rotatable support. and means foractuating the conveyors while the support. is being rotated to cause thefabric tube to advance on the rotating support while the fabric tube.partakes of the tube rotation. whereby the" fabric tube will receive acontinuous helical severance in its periphery to produce a 'fabric webor band with the two side web margins constituted by the helical line ofseverance of the cutter and which margins Awill extend at an angle tothe normal thread elements of the unsevered woven fabric "nbr-n- 2. Asubstantially cylindrical support for a woven seamless'tubeof fabric`means for .rotating said support, a cutter arranged to engage the fabrictube on the support while being rotated, a circular series of endlessband conveyors extending longitudinally on the rotatable support, andmeans for actuating the conveyors while the support is being rotated tocause the fabric tube to advance on the rotating support while thefabric tube partalzes4 of the tube rotation, whereby the fabric tubewill receive a continuous helical severance in its periphery to producea fabric web or band with the two side web margins constituted by thehelical line of severance of the cutter and which margins will extend atan angle to the normal thread elements of the unsevered woven fabrictube.

3. A substantially cylindrical support for a woven seamless .ube offabric mounted for rotation. means carried by the support arranged toadvance the fabric tube along the support and a cutter arranged adjacentthe support to engage the fabric t'ube whereby' the fabric tube willreceive a continuous helical severance in its periphery to produce afabric web or band with the two side web margins constituted by thehelical line of severance of the cutter and which margins will extend atan angle to the normal thread elements of the unsevered woven fabrictube.

4. A substantially cylindrical support for a woven seamless tube offabric mounted for rotation, and means actuated by the rotation of thesupport to cause the fabric tube to advance on the rotating supportwhile the fabric tube partakes of the tube rotation, and a cutterarranged to engage the fabric tube on the support while being rotated,whereby the fabric tube will receive a continuous helical severance inits periphery to produce a fabric web or band with the two side webmargins constituted by the helical line of severance of the cutter andwhich margins will extend at an angle to the normal threaded elements ofthe unsevered woven fabric tube.

5. A substantially cylindrical support for a woven seamless tube offabric, means for rotating said support, means actuated by the rotationof the support arranged to coact with the support to cause the fabrictube to advance on the rotating support while the fabric tube par-takesof the tube rotation, and a cutter arranged to engage the fabric tube onthe support while being rotated, whereby the fabric tube will receive acontinuous helical severance in its periphery to produce a fabric web orband with the two side web margins constituted by the helical line ofseverance of the cutter and which margins will extend at an angle to thenormal thread elements of the unsevered woven fabric tube.

6. A substantially cylindrical support for a woven seamless tube offabric, means for rotating said support, a cutter arranged to engage thefabric tube on the support while being rotated, a series of conveyorscarried by the rotatable support, and means actuated by the rotation ofthe support for actuating the conveyors while the support is beingrotated to cause the fabric tube to advance -on the rotatin supportwhile the fabric tube 7. A substantially cylindrical support for a wovenseamless tube of fabric, means for rotating said support, a cutterarranged to engage the fabric tube on the support while being rotated, acircular series of endless band conveyors extending longit'udinally onthe rotatable support, and means actuated by the rotation of the supportfor actuating the conveyors while the support is being rotated to causethefabric tube to advance on the rotating support while the fabric tubepartakes of the tube rotation, whereby the fabric tube will receive acontinuous helical severance in its periphery to produce a fabric web orband with the two side web margins constituted by the helical line ofseverance of the e'utter and which margins will extend at an angle tothe normal thread elements of the unsevered woven fabric tube.

Signed at White Plains, N'. Y., on April ROBERT s. sEDDoN.

